NT Public Sector Pay Scales 2026 — AO2 to SAO2 Salaries

Who sets these rates

The Northern Territory Public Sector 2025–2029 Enterprise Agreement, a single-enterprise agreement approved by the Fair Work Commission on 30 January 2026 (AG2025/4592). It covers NT Public Sector employees in the general classifications — administrative, professional, technical, physical and others — with salaries in Part A of Schedule 11. Teachers, nurses and some other groups have their own NTPS agreements.

The agreement makes four increases: 3% from 17 November 2025, 3% from the first full pay period on or after 10 August 2026 (13 August 2026), 3.5% from the first full pay period on or after 10 August 2027, and 3.5% from the first full pay period on or after 10 August 2028 with any Darwin CPI above 3.5% added (clause 35.3). The rates on this page are the 13 August 2026 column. The next increase is 3.5% from 12 August 2027 — for example AO2 rises from $63,931 to $66,169.

Across the schedule below, published salaries run from $63,931 to $187,176. Every figure on this page is transcribed from the instrument named beside it and was checked on 24 September 2026. Where a level could not be read from a primary source it is left out and listed further down rather than estimated.

NTPS pay scales

How progression between pay points works

An employee moves up one pay point within their designation after 12 months' continuous service at a pay point, or 12 months' broken service in the preceding 24 months (clause 36.2). Part-time employees progress on the same calendar time as full-time employees (clause 36.3).

Senior Administrative Officers are different: clause 37.1 says their pay progression "is to be based on high performance" and "is not automatic". It is assessed once a year against criteria such as sustained superior performance or successfully taking on increased duties (clause 37.5).

Moving from one AO designation to the next is a promotion. Earlier higher duties at the new level within the preceding 24 months count towards the next increment date (clause 36.4). The top of AO7 is $130,039 and the bottom of SAO1 is $136,380.

Superannuation on top of the band

Clause 40.2 commits the employer to the minimum contribution that avoids the Superannuation Guarantee charge, so the Superannuation Guarantee rate is what the agreement guarantees. Members of the closed CSS, NTGPASS and NTSSS schemes are covered by those schemes' rules (clause 40.3).

The Superannuation Guarantee minimum is 12.0% from 1 July 2025, so a public sector employer contribution above that rate is real money you should count when you compare offers. Our superannuation calculator and superannuation guide work through the difference over a career.

What the band is worth after tax

The salaries above are gross. To check a payslip you need the figure after income tax, the Medicare levy and any study loan repayment. The mid-band link in each row opens the nearest published take-home page, and the calculators below take your exact salary:

• Income tax calculator — tax and Medicare levy on an exact salary.
• Take-home pay calculator — weekly, fortnightly and monthly net pay.
• Fortnightly pay calculator — most public service payrolls pay fortnightly, and the classification tables above are published as fortnightly rates.
• Pay rise calculator — what an increment or an agreement increase is worth in the hand.
• Salary sacrifice calculator — public sector employers commonly offer packaging; this shows the tax effect.
• Understanding your payslip — how a classification and pay point appear on the payslip itself.

What this page does not cover

These are the rates we could not read from a primary source. Nothing here is estimated in their place:

• Professional, technical, physical and other streams in Schedule 11 — published in the same agreement but not transcribed here.
• Executive contract officer remuneration above EO3, which is set outside the agreement.
• NT teachers, nurses, police and other groups on their own agreements (see the teacher and nurse pages).
• Remote and district allowances, which vary by location and are not reproduced.

NTPS pay questions